1.b. 保安官 (hoankan) means “sheriff” and breaks down as to preserve + peace + government official. You might think the last kanji looks familiar, and maybe it is to you. But as I prepared this quiz, I realized that I had confused it with 館 (KAN: large building, hall) of 図書館 (toshokan: library), 映画館 (eigakan: movie theater), and 大使館 (taishikan: embassy). The difference between 官 and 館 is clearly 食 (to eat). Hmm, that should mean people are allowed to eat in libraries! Why is 食 inside 館? OK, now I have to know about the etymology.
Here it is. Henshall says 館 originally referred to a building where traveling officials could eat (e.g., an inn), later coming to mean “building” in a broader sense. Ah, a building where traveling officials could eat? Do I have some photos for you! See the link for yet more New Zealand pictures.
By the way, if you take 保安官 and hack off the last kanji, you get this:
保安 (hoan: preservation of public peace) to preserve + peace
If you then invert the word, you get this:
安保 (anpo: security treaty, short for 安全保障条約, anzen hoshō jōyaku)
安全 (anzen: security) secure + complete, intact
保障 (hoshō: guarantee ) to ensure + to protect
条約 (jōyaku: treaty) law + promiseWhew! No wonder people use the abbreviation 安保.
2.a. and c. Did you think I’d ever get to the answer for number 2?! As you must have guessed, 保母 (hobo: to care for + mother) can mean both “nurse” and “kindergarten teacher”! Confusing! And 保母 has nothing to do with mothers (except that both roles require maternal love).
